The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle's obituary column was not headed Obituaries. Its title was the slightly less deathly Mortuary Matters. Still, people definitely died. Between 1891 and 1902, there was a steady stream of death in my grandmother's family. Noted:
My great-great grandfather, 10 March, 1891: Patrick Punch died suddenly on Sunday at his home, No. 112 St. Joseph Street, aged 70 years.
My great-great grandmother, 27 March, 1895: Mrs. Susan Punch, wife of Patrick Punch, died yesterday morning at her home, No. 112 St. Joseph Street, aged 67 years.
My other great-great-grandfather, 17 June, 1896: George Sans, aged 64 years, died yesterday at the family residence, No. 40 Martin Street. A wife and three children survive him.
My other great-great grandmother: In this city, on Friday afternoon, July 19,1901, Sophia Nelson Sans, widow of George Sans, aged 70 years. She is survived by one son, John F. Nelson, and two daughters, Louise Nelson and Mrs. William V. Punch.
My great-grandfather, 10 October, 1902: WILLIAM V. PUNCH KILLED BY TRAIN William V. Punch, 37 years old, of No. 40 Martin Street, was killed by a Lehigh Valley freight train at about 4 a.m. yesterday at the Elmwood avenue crossing. The reason for his presence there at that hour of the night is explained by the fact that he had not been himself for a couple of days.
Punch had been employed at the Glenny store for the last seven years and had charge of the picture frame department there. He was formerly with the Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Company in its picture frame department, which business he had followed all his life.
Punch a few days ago obtained a personal loan from Mr. Watkins, of the Glenny firm, and promised to pay it back yesterday. Wednesday night he found that he did not have the money on hand and the matter worried him so that he did not sleep. He rose at about midnight and told his wife that he knew he could get the money of a friend at Conesus, where Punch has a cottage. He said he would take his insurance policies so that he could give them as security if he could not borrow the money without them. He said or did nothing that would indicate intention to commit suicide.
There survive Punch his wife and three children, one brother and two sisters. He was a member of the Royal Areanum, in which order he carried one insurance policy of $3,000. His other policy was with the New York Casualty Company for a like amount. He was a member of Court Kodak of the Foresters.
Punch was popular with his friends and fellow workmen and well liked by his employers. None of them ever heard him mention suicide as a way out of the world for himself and none of the [word indistinguishable] that he had any such idea when he left home. There is ample evidence of his intention when he left the house, and it would seem that it was one of the many accidents to persons who walk railroad tracks at night. He may have walked under the delusion that the approaching train was on another track. But it is not unusual that one deeply engrossed in thought while walking becomes deaf to all sounds about him.
It seems that Punch was instantly killed. The engineer of the Lehigh engine which struck him said that he did not see the man until he was struck and his body was thrown in front of the engine. The engineer stopped the train as quickly as he could and the train crew found the body badly mangled. As there was no use for a physician's services the engineer notified Coroner Killip, who at once went to the scene of the accident. He will hold an inquest as soon as possible.